Paul Katami- Hollywood Bootcamp 4×4
Equipment needed: one pair of dumbbells, but multiple pairs are probably better- I used 10's, 8's and 5's
Level: Advanced
Bottom line: Holy moley! This workout is the mother of all circuit-style cardio/weights training workouts that I've done this year.
Readers of any of my other reviews know that I regularly dip my proverbial workout toes into intense interval and circuit workouts and always enjoy a good, intense workout. Well, let me emphasize that <b>NONE</b> of the ones I've done this year prepared me for this workout.
The workout consists of a warmup, 5 circuits (each repeated twice with a 30 second break in between) including one minute each of cardio, legs, upper body and core, (surprise!) an additional strength/conditioning circuit, and finally a cool down, clocking in at 72 minutes total. The first circuit brings it up to a nice intensity, but don't be lulled into a false sense of security, because the circuits get significantly tougher as the workout progresses. I very rarely have to modify exercises in any workout that I do, but this one brought me to my knees, both literally and figuratively. During one of the grueling pushup segments, I had to switch to doing them off my knees- and to qualify how difficult those segments were, normally I can do many consecutive pushups off my toes with no breaks.
There are a few factors that make this workout so outstanding. First, almost all the exercises in the workout are multi-purpose, particularly since the majority of them also engage/work the heck out of your core. For example, in one circuit, Paul does squat thrusts for the cardio, then compound legwork that engages the core, then pushups and mountain climbers for the arms, followed by plank work for the core (YOW!). There are tons of pushups- way more than in any other circuit/interval workout I've seen except for Insanity- which are my favorite exercise for shaping my upper body and core. In addition, Paul is an excellent instructor, pleasant and motivating without being too peppy (he reminds me of Cathe),and the workout combines both functional and conventional weight training so my muscles really felt worked at the end (unlike Peak 10 Cardio Strength, which a very similar structure but which I felt skimped on the strength). Finally, the exercises changed so quickly and I was working so hard that my highly attention-deficit self didn't get bored!
Some minor criticisms: there are some minor production quality issues (sound in particular), but they did not interfere enough with the workout to bother me. The music free option also does not work on the DVD. More importantly, some of the exercises were repeated too quickly to keep good form (in my opinion), in particular some of the leg exercises. Doing front lunges that quickly is just asking for knee pain, and doing biceps curls that quickly will cause most people to use momentum rather than the muscle. However, Paul encourages you to go at your own pace, and I concentrated on form rather than speed for the exercises that I thought were completed too quickly.
Overall: I'm a huge fan of bootcamp style workouts, so if you're advanced and that's your thing, then you must try this. I'd love to hear if you can do this without having your booty handed to you! I sure wasn't prepared to be pwned by this workout the way I was.